This is an analysis of the poem It Doesn't Pay that begins with:

It doesn't pay to undermine,
People unknown to do this....

Elements of the verse: questions and answers

The information we provided is prepared by means of a special computer program. Use the criteria sheet to understand greatest poems or improve your poetry analysis essay.

  • Rhyme scheme: ABcccdec fgccdgaXXdd FgFeFgXd ABcXhghg DcDgaX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,11,8,8,6,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: enclosed rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 01010101 1001010 0101010100 10010 0101011 111101010 010100010 011010101 101010010 0101001 101001 11000 0111 1111110 101101 101100010 101 10001 1001101 1110101010 11110100 1110101010 110000001 1110101010 1011101 01010101 01 01010101 1001010 110100 111011 011110011 00101 01110011 10101001 01010010 010110010 01010010 0101001 111111 0101
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 242
  • Average number of words per stanza: 42
  • Amount of lines: 41
  • Average number of symbols per line: 29 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 5
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; to, it, pay are repeated.

    The author used the same word it at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

    The literary device anadiplosis is detected in two or more neighboring lines. The word/phrase it connects the lines.

If you write a school or university poetry essay, you should Include in your explanation of the poem:

  • summary of It Doesn't Pay;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Lawrence S. Pertillar